


(so we hide away and never tell) you decide if darkness knows you well

by PitchonthePitch



Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Confusion, Consent Issues, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Guilt, Light Angst, M/M, Non-con is alluded to in the text but nothing actually happens, POV Rose, Possessive Behavior, Protective Sam, Protective Siblings, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sort Of, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:21:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitchonthePitch/pseuds/PitchonthePitch
Summary: Basically a rewrite of that scene where Rose finds out who Damien really is, and Mark promises to tell Damien to leave town. (Episode 407)In this version, Chloe's mind reading powers make the scene a lot more awkward and a lot more revealing.
Relationships: Mark Bryant/Damien, Samantha Barnes/Mark Bryant are together but the story is focused more on Mark and Damien
Kudos: 33





	(so we hide away and never tell) you decide if darkness knows you well

Rose listens to the large collection of stories Dr. Bright and her friends have, detailing all the chaos that Damien has put them through. Idly, they start to wonder if Damien still has his power when Mark speaks up. “Damien's power is gone. He called me yesterday -- wasted -- going on and on about how he never got drunk before, but now it doesn't matter because his ability is gone." 

"He called you?" Dr. Bright says. There's an accusatory tone underlying her voice, like she's wondering why Mark is just telling her this now.

 _Ah,_ Rose thinks to herself, _so Mark is the ex Damien drunk dialed._ If she weren’t so panicked about her new friend turning out to be a violent creep, she’d be commending him on his taste in men. Sure, Damien said that his relationship with Mark wasn’t ‘like that,’ but she could tell by the look on his face that he wished it was.

“What ex?” The mind reader girl is looking at her. No, she's not just looking at Rose. She's looking back and forth, between Rose and Mark. “Damien called Mark his ex?”

The room stills. A blush quickly floods Mark's handsome face. His girlfriend looks ready to throw hands. No one says anything, not even Dr. Bright; she looks too flabbergasted to speak.

“No,” Rose says, “I did. Damien just mentioned that he drunk dialed someone. I’m the one who assumed it was an ex.” She decides not to mention the part where Damien _did_ call Mark his ex- _something_. She has a feeling that wouldn’t help Mark’s blush, or the murderous look on his girlfriend’s face.

"Not an ex," Mark says quietly. "Just an... old friend." The frown on his girlfriend's face deepens. "Not even an old friend," he reiterates. "Just someone Damien vaguely used to know."

"Someone Damien _kidnapped,"_ his girlfriend corrects him, "and then _psychologically tortured_ for months." 

"Right," Mark says, and he frowns, too, as he seems to remember all the reasons he has to be angry with Damien. "Not an ex or an old friend. Just someone Damien used to find out more about how his power worked." 

The conversation moves on. The blush fades from Mark’s cheeks, but the angry little frown remains. When he volunteers to ask Damien to leave town, he glances over at his girlfriend, surreptitiously, like he's trying to prove something to her.

Eventually, Mark and his girlfriend -- _God, what is her name?_ \-- leave to procure the proper papers and identification that Damien will need to start a new life somewhere else. Rose hangs around for awhile, getting to know the other Atypicals there. Caleb and Adam seem cool, and Chloe. But then Chloe leaves, saying she has plans with her mom and someone named Frank. Soon after, Rose decides it's time for her to get going as well. She tells Adam she's leaving and then goes looking for Dr. Bright.

Dr. Bright is in the kitchen, talking to Caleb in a low voice. Rose stops at the threshold, unwilling to interrupt what looks like a very private conversation. “Mark hasn’t been the same since he came back, and I don’t know if it’s because he’s angry with me for working with the AM, or because he’s recovering from what happened to him when he was trapped there, or because he’s…” She trails off, like she can’t even bring herself to say this last part. “What did Mark feel, exactly, when Rose called him Damien’s ex?” _That's right, Caleb is the empath of the group._ “He was blushing, but he could've been blushing for any number of reasons. So, tell me: what was he feeling in that moment? Was it anger? Was it embarrassment? Was it…” There's a long pause. “Was it love?”

Caleb doesn’t answer for a long time.

“I’m sorry,” Dr. Bright blurts. “I shouldn’t have asked you.”

“No, it’s okay--” Caleb starts.

“You’re just a kid. You shouldn’t even be involved with any of this--”

“I’m not a kid,” Caleb says, but there’s a petulant whine in his voice that says otherwise. “And I’m not your patient anymore, either. I _want_ you to talk to me about this stuff. I _want_ to be involved. Mark's just…” Another long pause. “He’s confused. That’s all. He’s just confused.” 

Dr. Bright takes a deep breath. “Okay,” she says. “Thank you, Caleb.”

Rose doesn't understand why she's thanking him. Caleb never even answered the question. Okay, so Mark is confused; what is Mark confused about? Is he confused because he feels sorry for Damien, or because he's attracted to him, or because he's hopelessly in love with him?

Oh. Maybe that’s why Mr. Bright thanked Caleb. Maybe as an empath, Caleb could sense that Dr. Bright wasn't really ready to hear the truth about Mark's feelings. She obviously cares a lot about keeping her brother safe. It'll be a hell of a lot harder for her to keep Mark safe from Damien if Mark has feelings for the guy. Be like a knight finding out that the damsel he's trying to rescue is in love with the dragon keeping her captive.

They both see her at the same moment. One minute, Caleb and Dr. Bright are deep in conversation; the next, their eyes have wandered to where she's standing in the kitchen doorway. She's actually surprised they haven't seen her until now. But then again, they were very immersed in their little conversation.

“Rose,” Dr. Bright says, in that calm and crisp voice of hers. She’s all professionalism now, nothing like the worried sister that was in this kitchen just a second ago.

“I was just leaving,” Rose says. “Thought I’d pop in and say goodbye before I go.” She smiles brightly, all professionalism, but she knows Caleb must be able to feel the guilt coming off her in waves. She shouldn’t have eavesdropped. She’s pretty sure she just found out something about Mark that he didn’t want anybody to know -- especially not Damien’s new friend.

 _Ex friend,_ she reminds herself. No way is she hanging out with him anymore.

But, still. She has a feeling Damien isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, no matter how nicely Mark asks him. From what she’s gathered, Damien doesn’t let go of things easily. She can’t imagine that Mark would be an exception to that rule.

She just hopes, for Mark’s sake, that Damien never finds out how _confused_ Mark is over him. Just because Mark has feelings for Damien doesn't mean he wants to be with him. In fact, judging by his relationship with Sam, he clearly doesn't.

But for an Atypical with mind control, she imagines the word 'want' can get very... _flexible._ Damien may not have his ability anymore, but that doesn't mean he won't still try to force people into giving him what he wants.

Fuck. Rose is scared for Mark, and she barely even knows him. She can't imagine how terrified his sister must be.

_If that dragon senses any sign of weakness, he may just dig his talons into his damsel and never let go._

She hopes that Damien listens to Mark, and leaves town.


End file.
